Processing of process data

Abstract

A method for processing process data by means of data bus subscribers of a local bus, the method including: receiving at least one instruction list at a data bus subscriber, the instruction list having a set of instructions for processing process data, storing the at least one instruction list in a memory, receiving an instruction list index, ILI, at the data bus subscriber, selecting one of the at least one stored instruction list on the basis of the received ILI if the ILI is associated with the stored instruction list, and executing the set of instructions of the selected instruction list in order to process the process data by means of the data bus subscriber. The local bus is designed as a ring bus, for example. Each output of a data bus subscriber is connected, for example, to an actuator.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for processing process data by data bus subscribers of a local bus the method comprising:
 receiving at least two instruction lists at a data bus subscriber from a local bus master, each instruction list of the at least two instruction lists comprising a set of instructions for processing process data; 
 storing the at least two instruction lists in a memory; 
 receiving an instruction list index at the data bus subscriber from the local bus master, the instruction list index referencing an indexable list of instruction lists; 
 selecting one of the at least two stored instruction lists based on the received instruction list index when the instruction list index from the local bus master is associated with one of the at least two stored instruction lists from the local bus master; and 
 executing the set of instructions of the selected instruction list for processing the process data by the data bus subscriber. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the storing of the at least two instruction lists comprises:
 creating a reference to each instruction list of the at least two stored instruction lists; and/or 
 storing each instruction list of the at least two instruction lists at a predetermined location in the memory. 
 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the received instruction list index points to a memory location in which one of the at least two instruction lists are stored. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least two instruction lists are transmitted to the data bus subscriber by the local bus master of the local bus. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the instruction list index is received before the process data, the instruction list index corresponding to one of the at least two instruction lists, the at least two instruction lists being indexed in the indexable list. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the process data is received in a data packet. 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the data packet includes the instruction list index and the process data. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the data packet is arranged in a cycle frame. 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein each instruction list of the at least two instruction lists is assigned only one unique instruction list index. 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the data bus subscribers including the data bus subscriber have the instruction list index,
 wherein the at least two data bus subscribers utilize the instruction list index, the instruction list index being the same in each of the data bus subscribers of the local bus. 
 
     
     
       11. A method for processing process data by data bus subscribers of a local bus, in particular of a ring bus, the method comprising:
 receiving at least two instruction lists at a data bus subscriber, the instruction lists comprising a set of instructions for processing process data; 
 storing the at least two instruction lists in a memory; 
 receiving an instruction list index at the data bus subscriber; 
 selecting one of the at least two stored instruction lists based on the received instruction list index when a reference to the instruction list index is associated with one of the at least two stored instruction lists; and 
 executing the set of instructions of the selected instruction list for processing the process data by the data bus subscriber, 
 wherein a first instruction list of the at least two received instruction lists has a first set of instructions for process data in a first arrangement within a data packet and wherein a second instruction list of the at least two received instruction lists has a second set of instructions for process data in a second arrangement within a data packet, and 
 wherein the first arrangement differs from the second arrangement. 
 
     
     
       12. A data bus subscriber of a local bus the data bus subscriber comprising:
 a receiver circuit to connect with the local bus and receiving at least two instruction lists from a local bus master, wherein each of the instruction lists includes a set of instructions for processing process data and the receiver circuit receiving an instruction list index from the local bus master, the instruction list index referencing an indexable list of instruction lists; 
 a first arithmetic circuit to select one of the at least two instruction lists based on the received instruction list index when the instruction list index from the local bus master is associated with one of the at least two instruction lists from the local bus master; and 
 a circuit or digital logic adapted to execute the set of instructions of the selected instruction list for processing the process data. 
 
     
     
       13. The data bus subscriber according to  claim 12 , wherein the processing of the process data based on the set of instructions of the selected instruction list comprises at least the reading and/or writing of process data. 
     
     
       14. The data bus subscriber according to  claim 12 , wherein each instruction list of the at least two instruction lists is assigned only one unique instruction list index. 
     
     
       15. The data bus subscriber according to  claim 12 , wherein the instruction list index includes indices for the at least two instruction lists from the local bus master. 
     
     
       16. The data bus subscriber according to  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a memory capable of storing the at least two instruction lists. 
 
     
     
       17. A local bus system comprising:
 the local bus master; 
 at least two data bus subscribers of the local bus according to  claim 12 , 
 wherein the local bus master comprises:
 a second arithmetic circuit generating a data packet with the instruction list index and the process data; and 
 a transceiver circuit transmitting the data packet to at least one data bus subscriber of the at least two data bus subscribers, 
 
 wherein the at least two data bus subscribers utilize the indexable list, the instruction list index being received in each of the at least two data bus subscribers. 
 
     
     
       18. The local bus system according to  claim 17 , wherein the local bus master:
 generates at least one instruction list for the at least one data bus subscriber, and 
 transmits the instruction list to the at least one data bus subscriber. 
 
     
     
       19. The local bus system according to  claim 17 , wherein the local bus master further comprises:
 a detecting processor to detect that at least one instruction list index is not assigned an instruction list, 
 wherein the local bus master assigns the one instruction list index to exactly one instruction list.